The Bangladesh Premier League had difficulty in pulling in crowds in many of the previous editions, especially in Dhaka phases of the tournament. Matches in Sylhet and Chattogram usually have great turnouts and festive atmosphere.

This time, the run-up to the tournament was timid but surprisingly a big crowd showed up for the opening day's games at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday. The eastern side of the gallery was packed, but the pricier seats on the western side were left vacant.

Many waited outside to purchase tickets from the black market in hope of being able to watch some action at some point during the day.

The attendance on the first day, despite it being a holiday, was a welcome sight for fans too. One such fan opined that district or regional rivalries still pull in crowds.

"I came for cricket. I am from Dhaka and I came to see Dhaka play. My friend here is from Barishal and he is a [Fortune] Barishal supporter since he supports the team from where he originally is," Kamrul Hasan, who studies in the engineering and technology department of the Dhaka University, said.

"But it was difficult to manage tickets since the tickets that are left are pretty expensive," he added.

Raihan Chowdhury, a banker from Dhaka, brought his whole family to enjoy the cricket on the holiday.

"Actually, BPL doesn't pull me that much but since it's a Friday and my kids are interested about cricket, we chose to come here," Raihan said.

"I think BPL [excitement] will improve as in my office I am noticing quite a bit of interest in the BPL. Since I work at a bank, I myself don't get much opportunity to watch cricket, but since BPL is a short format, it's better for me. My son plays cricket the whole day and it's because of him that I'm here," the fan added.

It remains to be seen whether the BPL can continue to pull in crowds who are still willing to come to the ground despite the low-key stature of the tournament this year.

Whatmore's understanding could be key for Barishal

Fortune Barishal have a lot of national team stars including Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad. The seniors in the side have a familiar face in Dav Whatmore as head coach, the man who was one of the key characters behind Bangladesh's rise in world cricket.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz talked to the media after Barishal's training yesterday, saying: "He has been communicating with everyone and boosting the players. Understanding is very important and our senior cricketers played under him before. Coach's communication is very important."